My Wingman Girl
by shassie4ever
Summary: Barney finds a girl who is struggling to get by after being kicked out by her family. They find that they have a lot in common and he looks after her. Barney & an OC  she's like a sister . Warnings: Possible violent/homophobic themes, possible sex scenes.
1. Chapter 1 You Don't Know Me

"Night guys," Marshall and Lily called out to trio at their regular booth in the bar. Robin nodded at the couple leaving the bar and turned to Ted, silently conversing with her boyfriend. Finally it seemed that they reached a conclusion and they turned to Barney.

"Sorry Barney, but I think we're going to head out too," Ted said. Robin was already sliding out of the booth.

"Yeah, we're beat," Robin said, faking a yawn.

"Oh come on you two! The night is still young!" Barney cried out.

Ted smiled knowingly at Robin. "Yeah, but like Robin said. We're…_tired_."

"Yeah like I don't know what you guys are really going to do," Barney said with a smirk. "Fine, leave me without a wingman. I'll just have to pick up unsuspecting chicks on my own tonight."

The couple nodded in mock sympathy. "Night Barney!" Ted yelled over his shoulder as he and Robin ran out of the bar.

Barney shook his head and smiled then downed the rest of his drink. "Right. Okay. Who should I choose?" He scanned the bar, ignoring the giggling group of middle-aged women, one of whom was staring at him in a way that he would normally welcome, but at her age just seemed desperate, and not the fun kind of desperate. When his eyes came to the bar he did a double-take. There, at the bar, was a small girl—because there was no other way to describe her, as she was most certainly not a woman—who was leaning against the bar and scanning the bar in a familiar searching manner. Unlike his gaze, hers' seemed to be tinged with sadness and a hint of weariness. She had short dark brown hair that flared out and she wore a black leather jacket masking her thin shoulders. She wore a worn cotton t-shirt and tight black pants with motorcycle boots. All of her outfit screamed tough, but an ungenuine kind of tough meant to draw attention away from the fact that she looked no older than seventeen and was still just a little girl.

Barney was willing to bet she wasn't a day over eighteen. It was a miracle she was even able to get into the bar. His first thought was that she was some bored little teenager looking to get booze, so he was going to go over and tell the owner to kick her out, but then he saw the shadows under her eyes and the canvas backpack she clutched in her hand. She looked like a runaway.

He found himself crossing the bar to get another drink and get a closer look at her. As much as he liked to pretend that he was heartless, he cared about other people and he was worried about her.

"Get me a vodka and tonic," Barney said with a nod to the bartender. While he waited he glanced at the girl who was now leaning toward a blond woman and chatting. Just by looking at their body language, and the fact that that woman had avoided his flirting days before, he guessed that they were flirting, or at least the blond woman-_what was her name? Traci?—_was pursuing the girl.

He could just make out the tail end of the conversation.

"You know, we could head over to my place, it's just across the street," the blond woman said.

The brunette growled back, "Sounds good."

The two left the bar and Barney grabbed his drink, heading back to his booth, still curious about the girl.

"So Barney, how was your night last night?" Marshall asked the next morning.

"Don't ask him," Lily scolded, "He's just going to give you the nitty gritty details of the blond bimbo he was with last night and I just had breakfast. I do not want to have to vomit up those delicious pancakes I made."

Ted nodded in agreement and Barney laughed.

"Nothing to tell," Barney said truthfully, but some of his curiosity from last night may have shown, because Lily had a glint in her eyes.

"That is such a lie. You met somebody. Who is she?" Lily grinned smugly.

"Really, there's nothing to tell," Barney assured. Looking at the overly interested gazes of Ted, Robin, Marshall, and Lily, he faked a smile. "Gotcha! No, I totally got with this hot chick with boobs-" he held out his hands in front of him, "this big!"

Lily scoffed and Robin faked vomiting. Marshall begrudgingly high-fived Barney, but Ted looked at Barney with curiosity.

"Well I've got to head out. Places to see, people to do," Barney said. He raced out of the apartment and down to the bar. He ordered a drink, but did not touch it, choosing instead to inspect the people at the bar. Some small part of him hoped to catch a glimpse of the girl from yesterday. He didn't know what it was, but he wanted to see her again. He had the urge to help her. She had seemed so sad, but like a little girl putting up a tough front. She reminded him of himself in a way, minus the girl part.

After an hour of sitting at the booth and sipping at the alcohol in his glass, he left the bar, out into the cold winter morning. He wrapped his jacket tighter around himself and rubbed his hands together, making his way to the coffee shop nearby. When he entered the shop, the heat slowly soothed the chills in his bones and he found himself waiting at the back of a line to get to the counter. After a few minute of looking aimlessly at the menu on the chalkboard behind the counter, he noticed the familiar shape of a small brunette in front of him. After she had ordered and headed over to a small table in the corner to wait for her drink, he ordered an espresso and a bagel, keeping an eye on her. He paid for his food and went to the pick-up counter, near where she was sitting. From his position he could see that she had circles under her eyes and had the same clothes on from yesterday. It was obvious that she had spent the night with the blond woman from the bar. He watched as she got her drink and left the shop. After getting his own drink and food he left the shop forgetting the girl as he made his way to work.

It had been a grueling day at work and he found himself at the bar again on his way home. He sat with the group, half listening to Lily's tale of a misbehaving kindergartener that she had had to put in time out that day, and Marshall's story about a homeless man with a trained bird talking to him near the subway. He found himself getting distracted though, and not even the pair of perky…_women…yes women_, at the bar could gain his attention. He kept telling himself that he wasn't worried about the girl, he was just waiting to see if she was eighteen yet. 'What up?' But the truth was that he wanted to help her. The other night in the bar he had noticed the sloppily put on cover-up on the right side of her face. Either she had acne like none other, or she was trying to hide a bruise.

Barney took another gulp of his beer and then got up from the table, much to the dismay of Ted who was regaling the group with the story of his antics at work. Barney went to one of the previously mentioned women and reeled her in with one of his many lines. They grabbed a cab back to his place and then they proceeded to do things that will not be described here, but suffice to say left Barney, and the bimbo he had picked up, very tired. They slept until the following morning.

Barney woke early, as always. He was never one for sleeping in, because he never felt comfortable, even in his own apartment. Strike that, especially in his own apartment, where there was always some strange woman in his bed, waiting to wake up and cling to him, as if their night together meant anything to him.

Since it was a Saturday and he didn't have work that day he decided to forgo putting on a full suit and satisfied himself with putting on a clean button-up and his "casual" slacks. He was going to head out to get his mail, but as soon as he opened his apartment door, something caught his eye. He saw the door down the hall open quietly and noticed as a small figure finished putting on a jacket and carefully shut the door noiselessly. This had all the marks of a one-night stand fleeing the scene of the crime early in the morning. Barney normally liked to laugh at things like this, and he was about to continue on his way, but something stopped him. The small someone turned for a second and he found himself recognizing the familiar features. The small nose and the dark eyes hidden by dark hair.

"Hey kid!" he called out unthinkingly.

The girl flinched and turned slowly toward him. "What?" she hissed. As her face came into view, he saw the old bruise purpling beneath her right eye, swelling on her cheekbone, now uncovered.

He was ready to launch into a speech about spoiled teenagers making their perfect lives harder than they needed to be, until he saw the bruise. The night before he was sure that he had been mistaken. He had had it in his head that she had a reason for running away, that maybe she wasn't just another bored rich kid, but until now he had talked himself out of this theory. With the glaring evidence here in front of him, his features softened.

"What are you doing?" he asked knowingly. The girl, who was about to turn back around froze.

"What do you mean?" she said guardedly.

"One night stands, really? And don't you have a home? You should be somewhere safe, not out at bars. I'm just trying to look out for you kid."

Her features screwed up in anger. "Don't pretend you know anything about me."

"So that's it," Barney said with understanding. "Nowhere to go. That's why you find strangers who will let you stay with them 'out of the kindness of their hearts'," he said the last part making air quotes with his fingers.

"Beats the street," she said with a shrug.

Barney sighed. "Fine," he said as if it pained him. "You can stay with me."

The girl snorted. "Like I'm going to stay with some creepy old man."

"Hey! Who are you calling a creepy old man," Barney said indignantly.

Then Barney saw the first smile on the girl's face. "Yep. A pervy creepy old man," but beneath her teasing there was real worry.

"Listen, I was just trying to help. Besides, I'd be gone most of the time anyway. I don't use the apartment a lot, so it's a waste. This way there'd be someone making use of it." He hoped to appease her, but she still looked hesitant.

"Hey Barney!" a high-pitched voice said behind him. The voice was soon followed by a possessive arm around his chest, and a well-manicured hand slipping into his shirt. He shrugged away uncomfortably.

"Hey…you," he said with mock enthusiasm.

The girl down the hall chuckled.

"What are you doing?" the girl from the bar last night asked.

"I went to get the mail," Barney replied.

The girl smiled, not noticing the lack of mail in his hands nodded, accepting his explanation. Really he had been planning to grab the mail, and leave, leaving her to find her way back to her own home and out of his apartment.

He didn't notice as the girl from earlier laughed at the exchange and then slipped out of the apartment building.


	2. Chapter 2 From the Outside Looking In

Authors Note: Sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I promise to try my hardest to keep updating. I saw all of these people favoring the story, which definitely helped. If I get reminders from readers I know for sure that I will be able to push myself to write more often. On another note, this next chapter is a bit short and last minute, but I hope you like it. Don't worry, there'll be more of the mystery girl next chapter. This chapter I wanted to focus on Barney a bit more.

The next few days passed in relative silence and a tedium that Barney had grown accustomed to associate with work (really just pulling off pranks with Marshall), and going to the bar to hang out with 'the gang'. He never really found himself feeling as if he fit in with his friends at work or even Ted and the rest of the group. Although he had once thought Ted was the closest thing he had to a brother besides his actual brother, Ted had eventually disappointed him with his lack of care or understanding. It was stupid of him to think that anyone would see through his playboy persona, but that was just what Barney longed for. He yearned for a kindred spirit; someone who would see him for the lost soul that he was, the scared little boy that just wanted love and a real family. Barney had thought he had that in his brother, but even his brother had real family now. His own mother didn't even know him for who he really was, so who else could he turn to?

Tonight was not unlike the other nights he had passed this week. After work he headed to MacLaren's for a beer and some awkward chit-chat with everyone before he would inevitably shuffle to his stark, uninviting apartment. It was a chilly winter night in New York. Even with his knit wool trench-coat and scarf he was shivering in the brisk night air. He entered the bar, stomping the heat back into his frozen feet and was hanging his coat up onto the coat rack when he laid eyes on The Booth, their booth. On one side Lily and Marshall were cuddled up together, Marshall with his brightly colored, but still very manly, drink, and Lily with a beer. Every few seconds they would turn to meet each others' gazes, silently communicating their love and devotion in the span of a few seconds of eye contact. On the other side of the booth Ted was nearly in Robin's lap as he leaned in to regale the group with his tale. Robin was certainly not minding the disregard for her personal space, in fact she seemed to relish the fact that Ted was so near to her. Her smile lit up in a way that Barney knew he would never be able to provoke if he was the one talking. This was a complete set. Adding a fifth person seemed blasphemous. He felt like a blemish on the perfection of their quartet. The group was harmonious when they numbered only four, and he knew he would only throw off the dynamic by joining them. It was something he often thought about when he found himself sitting on a chair pilfered from a neighboring table. He would cling to the end of the table, awkwardly thrown in where he didn't belong, where he stuck out like a sore thumb. Most nights he would suck it up and ignore the discomfort he felt at being left out, but something deep in his gut told him to just leave. He found himself shoving his arms into the sleeves of his coat as he stared blankly at the empty spot where his chair would have sat. No one had even bothered pulling up a chair for their friend that they knew would be joining them. He knew it probably didn't mean anything. They probably had planned on grabbing one when he came, but somehow the absence of this small gesture made something inside of him break. With one last glance back up at his friends' smiling faces, Barney shoved open the door to MacLarens and made a hasty exit.

The frigid air stung his eyes. It was only when the tears fell down that he realized he had tears in his eyes. Wiping furiously at his eyes with the back of his sleeves, he continued to walk away from the bar. Blindly he sought comfort in the familiar, albeit somewhat grungy streets of this city that brought him so much pain and happiness.


End file.
